Kozen Waisetsu
Name: Kozen Waisetsu (コーゼン・ウァイセツ)
Gender: Male
Age: Late 30s
Height: ?
Weight: ?
Race: Sorcerer
Blood Type: ?
Constellation: ?
Hometown: ?
Also Known As: ?
Specialties: ?
Hobbies: ?
Related Characters:
Xanadu Ostwald (Employer)
Orphen Finrandi (Target)
First Featured: Stray Journey: "Ghost, Sleep On My Chest"
Kozen (also known as the "Mercenary of the Ashes", the "Feared Shadow on the Beach", or "Kozen the Shadow.") is an assassin hired by Xanadu Ostwald to assassinate Orphen. However, he finds himself mixed up in a horrifying battle of monsters, fleeing as the sole survivor of the group he'd been sent with.
Personality
Kozen's a self-serving man, who prioritizes his own life above all else. This goes as far as leaving colleagues to face horrific deaths to monsters, as he knows that, realistically, there's nothing he can do. In the grip of fear he can get quite loud and even violent, but he still has some degree of humanity left, as he at least made the attempt to remove Cleao's body from the Phonogolos mansion even when there was no logical reason to do so.
Appearance
Kozen's noted to look much older than he is, appearing to be in his 40s when he's only in his late 20s. He has scruffy hair with stubble on his face, and wears a lead-colored suit with chains and armor over his chest, shoulder, and wrists. He has rough scars over his right hand that are described as looking as if they're a separate organism all together.
History
Hired By Ostwald:
Kozen was initially hired by Xanadu Ostwald to assassinate Orphen, setting an example for all small-game loan sharks in Totokanta. He was sent with a group of other thugs, and together they'd made a plan to have one group launch a raid against Orphen's room at the inn. They expected him to come out through the front door of the inn, where a second ambush would be waiting. However, monsters from the village attacked the room first, and rather than go through the front door, Orphen jumped right out of the window. He intercepted Kozen's ambush, captured some of his colleagues, and the rest of the group fled.
Later, when they had regrouped in the woods, they were attacked by the same monsters who'd confronted Orphen, and slaughtered some of their colleagues. The attack came out of nowhere, and with such ferocity that the entire group was slaughtered, aside from Kozen, who fled for his life.
Escape From Phonogolos' Mansion:
During his flight from the previously mentioned attack, Kozen ran into Cleao and Majic. During his argument with Cleao the creatures who'd killed his group showed up. He, along with Cleao and Majic, were kidnapped and placed in Phonogolos' mansion. Majic was the first to awaken, and threw himself down the dust schute when Axel showed up and attacked. Kozen woke up later, finding Cleao's (presumed dead) body unconscious on a table. Though he had no genuine relationship with the girl, he felt wrong about leaving her there, and so he tried to take her out of the mansion. However, the apparition of Sammy appeared in the room. During the confusion, the apparition possessed Cleao, giving her superhuman strength that she then used to throw Kozen from the window.
Departure:
Kozen stuck around long enough to find out that Cleao had survived, and to watch as they set fire to Phonogolos' mansion. Though he tried to participate in some degree of conversation with the people present, the conversation ultimately degraded into insults and taunting. Utterly exhausted, Kozen chose to quietly walk away without ever addressing his time in the mansion.
Skills
Sorcery:
Kozen possesses a number of spells, but while he's able to use sorcery, Orphen estimates that his skill is more or less that of a dropout. He likely didn't finish his education, and this shows in the magic composition of his spells. For an assassin, however, who will usually be up against humans, it's more than sufficient for taking life.
Assassination:
Kozen is an assassin-for-hire, and seems to have some degree of experience in this field. He recognizes the importance of patience, setting up a proper ambush, and has lived (albeit scarred) to tell the tale.
Spells:
"Get Lost!"
This spell that was used by Kozen to extinguish fire in a puff of smoke.
"Open!"
When this spell of cast, you can hear the sound of the crunching of fresh powdery snow. Right after, a huge gash is opened up in the target. This can be an enormous wound, and in Kozen's case, was used to tear open the target from their shoulder to their opposite side, spilling blood with the force of a bucket of water.
"Blow Them Away!"
A spell that fires a lightning bolt in a straight line, presumeably to destroy the target.
Assorted Facts
• Kozen's name is a pun on the Japanese term for public indecency (Kozenwaisetsu.) This theme is carried on in the official translations of the book, where his name is translated as "Stark Neykid" as a pun on "Stark Naked."
Features
Prominent Features:
- Stray Journey: 3 "Ghost, Sleep On My Chest" (Prominent Character)